Improving Health Care Costs, Testing Rates Among Patients With HIV

In order to improve testing rates, poorer health outcomes, and costs among patients with HIV, researchers determined that targeted clinical testing and interventions to address overlooked testing opportunities may be beneficial.

“The economic consequences of a missed opportunity for HIV testing at an earlier stage of infection within a healthcare setting are poorly described,” explained the researchers of the study.

The researchers determined the direct costs of HIV care following diagnosis from a payers’ perspective and reported mean cost per patient per month in 2019 Canadian dollars. They also compared patients with no encounters for 3 years prior to diagnosis with patients who had encounters. Of note, the research team gave special attention to patients with HIV clinical indicator conditions (HCICs).

For the study, 388 patients were identified. Of these patients, 60% had one or more prior encounter without HIV testing, and 14% had been treated for an HCIC. The researchers noted the females, older patients, and heterosexuals were at a higher likelihood to have prior encounters, and patients with prior encounters at diagnosis presented with lower CD4 counts and higher rates of AIDS.

The findings show that the mean costs per patient per month for “patients with any prior encounter or for an HCIC-based encounter were 16% and 33% higher, respectively, than for patients with no prior encounters.”

Additional findings show that the mean per patient per month costs were higher for antiretroviral drugs and outpatient visits. Further, inpatient-reported costs were 10 times higher among participants with HIV who had a prior HCIC encounter than those with no encounters.

“Any health care visit, especially for an HCIC, represents relatively easy opportunities for HIV testing. Not testing can result in poorer health and higher costs,” the study authors explained.

“Targeted clinical testing and novel interventions to correct overlooked testing opportunities within healthcare settings may be an easy way to implement cost savings.”

Reference:
Gill MJ, Powell M, Vu Q, Krentz HB. Economic impact on direct healthcare costs of missing opportunities for diagnosing HIV within healthcare settings. HIV Med. 2021;22(8):723-731. doi:10.1111/hiv.13121